Think its fairly safe to say both diskin and l'estrange will be in 17 at cardiff. Like ewen I think diskin is likely to get starting role as think it suits his style better.

You're usually one to remember dates aren't you?

Will Diskin be fit for Dewsbury? Hope he gets a few friendlies in to get used to the new team and form a good link with Herbert.

23rd ? He might but Im not sure.

was in t&a last week that scruton and diskin are both expected back for wakey game after, I think, hernia ops. donaldson back in full contact training before fax game but was a week too soon for him to feature. Cant remember what they said was wrong with crossley but it was minor. think elima,sykes and kearney are all fit but just not used for fax game.

Crossley had a knee clearout I think. Elima, Kearney and Sykes like you say are fit. The only player we wont see is Halley till April/May

i'm interested to know why pace is so important for a centre?

A while to go yet and things may change, but from a personal point of view I can see the team shaping up along the lines of the following for the Leeds game - not necessarily what I would pick, just a feeling I have that Potter won't want to risk one or two for a full game or thrown them in against Leeds first up:

Royston
Ainscough
Platt
Ah Van
Raynor

Kearney
Herbert

Lynch
Diskin
Scruton

Whitehead
Eilma
Langley

Hargreaves
L'Estrange
Walker (may be used in second row to start with / replacement at centre)
Kopczak

That leaves out Sykes and Briggs who will probably be expected to be around the 17.

Fairly obvious I would have thought.

nope. a good pair of hands with an eye for a gap to put his winger into. decent defence also, but not too sure that pace is an absolute must.

Well if this is your criteria then Sykes certainly ticks none of the boxes.

Pace is clearly a benefit. Not too many Centres will be effective if they start treading water each time they get the ball.

true but a few we've had before (naylor, harris) weren't blessed with blistering pace and I'm sure a few bulls supporters would have a player in that mould back in a flash.

I don't disagree with that excellent point in anyway. They were excellent players. I suppose it goes both ways. HAD those two been blessed with blistering pace it would have catapulted them to World Class status and we probably would not have managed to get them in the first place!

I am in danger of contradicting my own views so I will quit now!

Still dodging clarifying what your basing your statement re: walkers pace on I see eddie

Sorry if its been mentioned previously but i can't understand why Platt and Halley have been given the number 1 and 2 shirts. (apart from maybe a gesture of good will from Potter)

Surley now we have Briggs, Kearney will be first choice fullback? there-fore number 1 and no disrepect to Dave but i would have thought he has moved down the pecking order in terms of a first choice place on the wing now we have Raynor and Ainscough at the club?

As for the pack, i think that seems about right as far as squad numbers go.

I'd go with that, although would like to see a bit more of Ah Van in pre-season before he gets a start in favour of Sykes at Centre.

What are you on about? I assumed it was quite clear. However, as you are so clearly full of your own self-importance that people have to reply to your every word, I will indulge you.

However, for the sake of assisting the hard of understanding, IMO (note - MY opinion, I am not pedalling it as fact in any way shape or form) Walker would be better suited to a slot in the second row, a position where he has played well internationally in the past also. I just do not feel that he has the neccessary pace for a place in the Centres. I did not think he was particularly swift before his terrible injury and I doubt he will be any faster. For too long we have lacked the pace neccessary to score "length of field" tries that most other clubs seem to be able to do and I would rather see the backs full of speedsters.

FFS it is an opinion! There are plenty of differing opinions on here but nice to see you are so obsessed by me that you have to pick the bones out of mine.

Sensible comments, IMO Mat. If we only have half the injuries we had last year (please

) all the squad members will get a go at some time, so we want them all to be at their best. I think that bagging players, apparently just for 'being there', is not only plain silly it's counterproductive when we want [iall[/i the players to do well.

Briggs was signed after the numbers had already been issued (and presumably registered with the RFL). Which would explain why Kearney still has 6.

I think Platt deserved a 1-13 shirt this year and if they were going to give him and Walker one, it makes more sense this way around than Walker having 1 and Platt having 4, as Walker has never played fullback in his life afaik.

To me, the logic behind Halley getting number 2 is that if there had been no signings since last year, he would have had that number. So it's kind of like telling Raynor & Ainscough that it's their job to win that shirt from Halley, rather than them be presented it without doing anything for it. If that makes sense.

I personally like the idea of new signings not being given a 1-13 shirt automatically, unless, like in the case of Walker, Ah Van, Herbert & Elima, players have left the shirts open by going elsewhere. It's just like challenging new signings to earn the shirt. If they perform, next year I'm sure they will get those 1-13 jerseys.

IMO though the shirt numbers do not say those are the players that will be playing and in those positions. Those who perform best should have the spots in the team, regardless of what number is on their back.

...is almost certainly the[i right[/i answer.

Oh and incidentally, after the final game of last season at Wigan, I DID ponder if Potter was contemplating moving Platt back to fullback. Remember he was chosen there for the Wigan match. It screamed to me that Potter wanted to see how he did now that he had some confidence back, and I seem to remember he did quite well too.

I also predicted in private (before we signed Briggs admittedly) that he would be given the number 1 shirt, although I don't expect anyone to believe that as I didn't post it.

I don't believe that




You're right about Platt though, I'm sure someone posted it at the time (your good self??) we played wigan that maybe that was a Potter suggestion on selection to St Hilaire? And he did do well, but putting him back at 1 would bring him under the spotlight again after he did so well at last year.

Fair enough, but IMO Platt is better suited to playing at Centre or be used as a utility back. So whatever number Kearney has got on his back he is the best full back at the club, with Royston probably second with what i've seen of him.

My team for Leeds would be:

Royston
Ah Van
Sykes
Walker
Raynor
Kearney
Herbert
Hargreaves
Diskin
Lynch
Elima
Whitehead
Langley

L'Estrange
Scruton
Donaldson/Addy
Kopczac

I'm as excited as anyone about Ainscough and I think he will become a very good player for us, but I think that Leeds would target him all day.

The Donaldson/Addy decision to be made on fitness and pre-season form.

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere at the time we signed him that HKR were planning on using Walker more and more in the second row before he was injured... I think he'll get a run in both positions, and will probably start at but long term I can see him playing second row for us or maybe of the bench to fit in the backs or forwards as required?

And I agree with that. Platty IMO is a quality centre, but we all know at fullback he had a tendency towards the "brainfarts" which got the fans on his back. I personally would rather he remained at centre and we used Kearney or Royston at fullback. But as I said at the time (and you're right Duckman it was me), it seemed a lot like Potter had asked for Platt to be played at fullback against Wigan so that he could see how he went, so it was obviously in his mind somewhere, even if it was right at the back.




Yeah that's right. They even went as far as giving him the number 12 shirt (when he was number 3 the previous year), but of course then he had that horror leg break which scuppered it.